Yesterday Agent El Hub and I brought a small, slightly sad-looking tree back to headquarters, ran twinkling white lights around a couple of interior windows and, while not directly related to the mission, watched two films, Water for Elephants and The Debt, both of which we liked.

After analyzing the available intelligence, Director Tabs felt that today would be a better day to decorate the tree, so Agent El Hub and I will initiate “Protocol: Light Strings” after the morning briefing.

Wish me luck. I hope things go well today… A lot is riding on this mission.

– Agent Karen

P.S. Our in-depth exploration of makeup monsters continues this week with a look at the Gloss Grabber. Makeup lovers around the world have reported coming into contact with this little rascal, and consequently losing their lipglosses. If you believe you’ve seen a Gloss Grabber, please report it to the FBMMI (Federal Bureau of Makeup Monster Investigation) immediately.

THE GLOSS GRABBER

FREQUENCY: CommonSPEED: Lightning quickARMOR CLASS: 5SPECIAL ATTACKS: Lightning lipgloss dash. Gloss grabbers are the gremlins of the gloss world, mischievous little creatures that absolutely love to steal and hoard lipgloss. Some of their favorite hiding places include the back seats of cars, inside couch cushions and under bedroom dressers.SPECIAL DEFENSES: Their incredible quickness allows them to stay hidden much of the time.INTELLIGENCE: Very, but it doesn’t matter because all they care about is gloss.ALIGNMENT: NeutralSIZE: Tiny (barely 6″ tall)

I stumbled upon three of these minis at the mall yesterday while cruising for Christmas tchotchkes. They were right next to a weird $500 white porcelain horse head in Anthropologie (so very Godfather!) and surrounded by a sea of $50 salt-and-pepper shakers.

I’m spritzing citrusy Annick Goutal Eau dâ€™Hadrien ($85) on my wrists and remembering the time I visited an Annick Goutal store in Paris and somehow, miraculously, managed to speak enough high school French to successfully purchase three small bottles of perfume. Read more…

I canâ€™t say I ever expected to see the words â€œbuttâ€ and â€œnakedâ€ appear on a makeup palette, butt there they are â€” all saucy and snarky on the front of Butt â€œNakedâ€ Eyes, NYXâ€™s new $25 holiday palette for the face, eyes and cheeks.

Judging by the name at least, it looks like the line had fun putting together this two-tiered palette of eyeshadows, blushes, a bronzer and highlighters, butt about that nameâ€¦

LOL! Okay, Iâ€™ll stop.

I couldnâ€™t help but notice that the name shares a word in common with the recently released Naked2 from Urban Decay. Read more…

The holidays are in full effect, yâ€™all, and red lipsticks are in the muthaâ€™ truckinâ€™ house! Of course, I couldnâ€™t forget to include one of the most party-poppinâ€™ colors in MACâ€™s permanent line, the bright, bold, beautiful MAC Red ($14.50).

If you like MAC Russian Red, you just might love its cousin. A bright bluish red with the subtlest semblance of shine, MAC Red grooves on lips with a modicum of magenta that keeps it playful and always down to party. Read more…

When I find myself tapping an almost empty plastic bottle upside down against the side of the sink to coax out the last few drops of this product, or zipping to the mall minutes before it closes to pick up a spare and coming home with not one but two replacement bottles â€” thatâ€™s when I know itâ€™s probably time to throw my arms up in the air, spin around in circles and sing at the top of my lungs like Maria does at the beginning of the Sound of Musicâ€¦

â€œThe hills are aliveâ€¦â€ with the sound of MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil!

Err â€” so maybe my version of the song doesnâ€™t have quite the same ring to it as Mariaâ€™s, but I still think this stuff is awfully amazing. Epic, even.

Itâ€™s a mineral oil-free makeup remover designed to whisk away face, lip and eye makeup, and it does such a good job on hard-to-remove products that I rarely feel the need to use it with a secondary cleanser. Read more…

The thought of those together makes my tummy churn, and unfortunately, itâ€™s the way I think the new NYX Xtreme Lip Creams taste and smell. Even so, the list of things I like about these liquid lipgloss/lipstick hybrids almost outweighs their flavor and scent. Read more…

2011 will go down in my diary as the Year of the Suitcase. I took a total of five trips this year, which is nothing, I know, compared to hard-core travelers, but it was a lot for me.

And one fantastic side effect of those trips was that they forced me to upgrade my approach to packing. I went from starting the year as a contender for â€œCrappiest Packer Ever,â€ and ended it as a middleweight semi-pro packer with a handful of new tricks.

If you have plans to fly (or drive) over the next few weeks, here are three things you can do to eek out a few more cubic feet for makeup and beauty in your luggage.

TIP NO. 1: Iâ€™m a gal with a weakness for products, and thereâ€™s only so much room in those TSA-approved plastic baggies. By filling up little sample jars with your must-have skincare and other liquid products, you can fill your allowed plastic bag to the brim. Read more…

Earlier this week in the comments on the MAC Unsung Heroes Red Lipstick post I got to chatting with reader Dana Jae about a question a lot of us wrestle with â€” â€œWhat can I do to get over my fear of red lips?â€

We may love the way red lips look on other gals, but for one reason or another, we just donâ€™t feel they work as well for us. Read more…

So far, 9 people have commented on this article. How cool is that?

I just wanted to let you know that I felt incredibly honoured that you included a link to my snowflake nail art in your post! Thank you so much for your support!Swatch And Learn recently posted … Smorgasbord Sundays: I Knit! Do You?

So that’s where all my glosses go! I must be infested with gloss grabbers in my house. Do they have an even more diabolical cousin that feeds on lip balms and chapsticks? Because I have a real problem with those too:)The Blossom Shed Beauty Blog recently posted … Gift Guide – Make Up For Ever’s Best Of Set

the other day I read your post about Benefit Harvana blush and in one of the pictures I saw one of Benefits Crescent Row perfumes. I just ordered the four scents and was wondering if you had them all and could tell me if they are good or not?

PANTONE BRANDED MAKEUP LINE AT SEPHORA??!! just read the linked post from Bellasugar, think my brain may have exploded with awesomeness.

The makeup obsessed graphic designer that I am, I’ll be buying doubles!! I just hope it’s not going to be the Sephora brand makeup, because I’d be really disappointed. If Pantone is going to make a tangerine eyeshadow, I want that baby to be packed with pigment and longevity!!

Also, does the Gloss Grabber go for chapsticks and lip balks too? If so I think i may have one living in my car!

AROUND THE WEB

Unsung Heroes!

Have you ever partied with Tabs?

You know what time it is. :) It's time to party with Tabs! -- the world's foremost international playboy tabby (and my feline employer). Kitty model, superstar, dreamer and all around lovable diva extraordinaire. See what he's been loving lately on his blog, partywithtabs.com, or follow his missives and adventures on Twitter.